Station 23

He fitted the headphones on and pressed play on the walkman. One of the mix-tapes made for him by the man behind the cardboard screen. KLF, 3am Eternal. Walking home, past the baseball diamond, over the tracks. After tonight's session - they had called it right when the gunfight was about to start on the subway. Leave it at a cliffhanger, keep them all excited for the next session.

He might be gone by then. Didn't know how to tell them yet. That he was likely going to be moving. Felt like he had just got here. New Order, Touched By The Hand Of God Remix.
It had been a strange few months. Tonight too, the way playing had started to feel. Like something more was happening than just a game.

Dan unlocked the front door to the small brownstone. Up the stairs quietly, the walls between apartments were thin. His room, number 23 on the door. He remembered the day the landlord first showed him the bachelor apartment and he knew it was where he was going to live.

Clicked off the walkman as he opened the door. Turned on the light and saw someone standing in the room, waiting for him. A Japanese woman in her early 30s. For a second he had the strange thought that she was supposed to be a kid.

"Hey Dan," Suki said. There was a clicking noise.